Dive Brief:

• Bose introduced what it has dubbed Bose AR, a fully functional 3-D-printed prototype of sunglasses the company will develop into a product later this year, reported Quartz.
• Introduced at the South by Southwest conference this week, the company claims that the glasses can tell what the wearer is looking at without an integrated lens or phone camera. But instead of superimposing visuals, the glasses add an audible layer of information and experiences, according to a statement from Bose. This is all done using sensors and the GPS on an iOS or Android device, which then send motion and location data to a Bose AR-enabled app that aggregates the information and produces real-time feedback.
• Among the many capabilities of the glasses, the company said, are the ability to give directions using stereo sound. Bose hopes to examine using that technology in other forms, such as embedding it in bicycle helmets.

Dive Insight:

With the AR/VR market projected to see an annual 98.8% compound annual growth rate from 2017 to 2021, the technology is rapidly evolving. Although gaming accounts for much of that number short-term, the International Data Corp. study forecasts that by 2021 commercial will account for more than 85% of AR/VR spending.

Last year saw the introduction of Daqri's AR smart glasses, which feature fingerprint ID scanning to access secure files, as well as a sensor, processor and detachable Computer Pack that work in tandem to store and share recorded image and project data.

Microsoft also announced its expansion of mixed reality headset HoloLens to 29 countries. The device, which doubles as certified protective eyewear, allows remote employees to participate in meetings through 3-D collaboration.

Garrett Harley, vice president of strategic accounts for the building sector at Aconex, told Construction Dive last fall he foresees AR as how people ultimately will interact with jobsite information. "AR will be for the people that really build things and are out there in the field," he said. "I think that will be the user interface for a lot of things because vision trumps all your senses combined."

In addition to helping improve productivity and safety on jobsites, technologies such as AR and VR could help make construction more appealing to younger generations, many of whom aren't interested in the trades. "Not many people coming out of school understand there's this much tech in construction," Harley said. "It's an exciting time to be a part of it."